News

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EDITOR: KATIE ARDMORE | SCROLLNEWS@BYUI.EDU

JUNE 12, 2012

Accident Drug on Hwy 20 Bust

DRIVER RAMS INTO POLICE VEHICLE, PAGE 11

Turning waste into

Energy

RIGBY MAN ARRESTED PAGE 12

CITY OFFICIALS RESEARCH SEWER TREATMENT, PAGE 13

IDAHO DISTRACTED DRIVING

A new report shows the consequences of distracted driving in Idaho from 2009 to 2011. Distracted driving is when a driver diverts his or her attention to another task, like texting.

JORDAN HINCKLEY | Scroll Photo Illustration

Out of 30 interviewed students, 21 said they text and drive. The Idaho transportation department said 146 fatal crashes involving distracted driving occurred in Idaho from 2009 to 2011.

Source: Idaho Department of Transportation KATIE ARDMORE | Scroll Illustration

Distracted driving causes fatal accidents

LIZZY PETHERBRIDGE Scroll Staff The Idaho Department of Transportation reported that 146 fatal crashes and 1,073 serious injury crashes between 2009 and 2011 involved distracted driving. Those crashes resulted in 160 deaths and 1,375 people seriously injured. The transportation department reported those statistics in a report on distracted driving that was released on June 8. Distraction is defined by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as a specific type of inattention that occurs when drivers divert their attention away from the task of driving to focus on another activity instead. This includes texting while driving. When asked if they text and drive, 21 out of 30 BYU-I students said they text and drive. About 97 percent of the students that were surveyed said they know someone who texts and drives. The survey also suggested that most students were involved in or knew someone involved in an accident due to texting and driving. Elizabeth Sweany, a freshman studying exercise physiology, was in a car accident caused by texting and driving when coming home from getting her wisdom teeth extracted. Sweany said she was lying down in the front seat to rest from her surgery while her mom drove the car. A teenage boy rear-ended the car when he failed to see them because he was texting and driving. Sweany said the impact gave her severe whiplash and caused significant damage to her car. It is so selfish to text and drive. You put not only yourself in danger, but all the people around you. Its not fair, Sweany said. She said the lasting impact of this accident was fear. It just happens so fast. I know we were lucky, but so many people arent. I refuse to text and drive, Sweany said. Because of the amount of accidents caused by distracted driving, Local News 8 launched a campaign asking Idaho citizens to pledge to stop texting while driving. Local citizens, businesses, fire departments and police departments have joined together to support the TXT L8R pledge campaign. Individuals have until the end of July to sign the pledge on the Local News 8s website www.localnews8.com. When asked about the pledge, most students said they would sign it but didnt believe it would have any lasting impacts.
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Distracted driver runs into patrol vehicle

SCHAE RICHARDS News Asst. Editor A driver hit a parked police patrol vehicle and suffered minor injuries on June 5, police officials said. Brian Anderson, 22, from Idaho Falls, was traveling on U.S. Highway 20 when he ran into the back of a Jefferson County patrol vehicle at 4:14 p.m. The Idaho State Police reported that Anderson was distracted by his cell phone, which caused ScrollDigital him to collide with the back of the patrol A related video vehicle. is available at byuicomm.net. Trooper Kris Barnes of the Idaho State Police said the fire department from Jefferson County was putting out a fire in the median of the highway when the accident occurred.

One thing Ive learned is that when the little voice inside says its time to get out of the vehicle, its time to get out.
MIKE MILLER
DEPUTY, JEFFERSON COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE

Deputy Mike Miller of the Jefferson County Sheriff s Office said he parked his vehicle behind the fire truck and went to help direct traffic after he felt prompted to get out of the vehicle. One thing Ive learned is that when the little voice inside says its time to get out of the vehicle, its time to get out, Miller said. Anderson was driving a Jeep Liberty which was extensively damaged and had to be removed from the scene along with the patrol car. Paramedics transported Anderson

ALEXA COLLETT | Scroll Photography

A tow truck tows away the police patrol vehicle involved in a collision on U.S. Highway 20. The driver was treated at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center and released the same day.

to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, where he received treatment for his injuries. Barnes said Anderson had a broken

rib and three lacerations. Anderson was released from the hospital that same day and received a citation for inattentive driving.

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It most likely will not make a difference. People will forget about what they signed. In the moment, it doesnt seem like a big deal, said Sarah Duffy, a freshman majoring in general studies. The Idaho School Distracted Driving Program stated in 2009 that youthful drivers were 2.9 times more likely than other drivers to be in a crash. It also said that many of the crashes involving youthful drivers were a result of distracted driving. It happens all the time, said Captain Bruce Bowler of the Madison County Police Department. How many times do you drive next to someone and see them on their phone? Things happen quickly, and the time that they spend looking down is time lost looking at the road and being alert. Bowler said he agrees with and supports the efforts of the pledge, and he hopes that residents will take the pledge and stop inattentive driving. Jay Hildebrandt, a senior anchor

at Local News 8, believes that texting and driving is a relevant and persistent problem in the Rexburg area. Hildebrandt, who also works on the BYU-Idaho campus, said he has changed his habits while driving. Instead of quickly checking my phone while Im driving, I now simply pull off to the side of the road. I feel much safer that way, he said. Hildebrandt said that the Local News 8 team hopes this campaign will have lasting effects on the people of Idaho Approximately 25,000 people watch the 10 p.m. broadcast and I have confidence that people will change their habits to help stop texting and driving, Hildebrandt said. Idaho lawmakers passed a law earlier this year banning texting while driving. This made Idaho the 39th state to restrict texting while driving. The law will be implemented on July 1.

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JUNE 12, 2012

NEWS IN BRIEF
Idaho wins $1 million grant to further job research
The state of Idaho was awarded a $1 million grant on June 7 from the U.S. Department of Education to further its research on the links between education and jobs. The grant was among a dozen announced by the federal government as part of its 2012 Workforce Data Quality initiative. The Idaho Department of Labor, Department of Education and State Board of Education will use the money to research the effectiveness of workforce training and education programs. The database will eventually allow researchers to determine the kinds of jobs and wages people have, based on different kinds of training and education. Theyll do this to assess the value of specific training types. Earlier this spring, Idaho was among 40 states to share over $64 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Labor. These grants were meant to continue re-employment and eligibility assessments for unemployment insurance benefit claimants. The Idaho Department of Labors $529,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor will further the personalized assessments being provided claimants to speed up their return to work. The assessments include developing re-employment plans for claimants. They will also provide complainants with labor market information, review of benefit eligibility and referral to re-employment services and training provided through the departments 25 local offices.

Man arrested for drug trafficking

ALICIA MIHU Scroll Staff A Rigby resident fled from police and was arrested for trafficking drugs in St. Anthony on May 31. Jake Morris, 34, possessed a bag of illegal drugs including methamphetamine and cocaine when he fled from Sgt. Cody Gudmunson, deputy sheriff from the St. Anthony police department. After running six blocks, he threw the bag into the Snake River and jumped in himself in an attempt to flee. Gudmunson ScrollDigital caught and arrested A related video him. Morris was is available at taken to Fremont byuicomm.net. County Jail where he is being held. Gudmunson said the suspect failed to use a turn signal while driving, so Gudmunson turned on his lights and pulled him over. While talking to Morris, Gudmunson realized something was not quite right. He didnt know who he was He didnt know his name, Gudmunson said. Morris gave him a fake name: Trevor Bateman. So, I pulled him out of the car, and during that process while I was trying to run him on my computer, he ended up fleeing the scene, Gudmunson said. When he got into the river, it was short-lived after that. It was probably only another minute [before Morris was caught.] Gudmunson said the man was charged with possession of cocaine and trafficking methamphetamine, which are both felonies. He was also charged of possession of drug paraphernalia, eluding an officer and giving false information to an officer. Gudmunson said there was enough

JORDAN HINCKLEY | Scroll Photography

A man was arrested for trafficking drugs May 31 and taken to the Fremont County Law Enforcement Complex. This building is located in St. Anthony.

methamphetamine in Morriss bag for Morris to be charged with trafficking drugs. To be charged for drug trafficking, someone must posses 28 grams. Morris had 32 grams plus other drugs and narcotics. We pulled his DRUG TRENDS criminal history IN IDAHO up. Hes been to Idaho is ranked the prison in the number 14 in state of Idaho the nation for the before for the same highest number of kind of charges, maximum sentences for possession of Gudmunson said. marijuana. Morris will be tried in court, and Source: www.drugscience.org the length of his sentence will be determined by the judge. It all depends on the judge, but with his prior record, hes probably looking at years, I would say, Gudmunson said. According to Gudmunson, Morris is being held on a $200,000 bond.

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Idaho death row inmate to be executed today

BOISE, Idaho (AP) More than a quarter century after Danette Elgs mutilated body was found on a punctured waterbed in her bedroom, her family still declines to publicly talk about her and what happened. The southeastern Idaho woman was a licensed private pilot who loved the outdoors, fishing and hang-gliding. At the time of her death, she had been the only female to graduate from the Idaho State Aeronautical School, according to her obituary. Her convicted killer, Richard Leavitt, 53, is scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection June 12, barring any last-minute court intervention. In the days before the scheduled execution, Elgs family kept their grief private. She was raised by her mother, Thelma, who died in 2006, and her stepfather, Richard Bross, who currently resides in Boise. Bross declined comment and other relatives didnt return phones calls from The Associated Press. Leavitts immediate family, including his parents and son, still reside in the small southeastern Idaho town of Blackfoot, where Elg was murdered. Tim Leavitt, who at 31 is the same age as Elg at the time of her death, told the AP on Friday that he was just four years old when his father, who goes by Rick, was arrested. The son maintains that his father is innocent, though he has never read the case. Im my dads kid. I know Im not capable of murdering someone. Theres no way I could take someones life, so I dont think theres any way he could either, said Tim Leavitt, who as a young adult was briefly incarnated with his father. On Sept. 25, 1985, a jury in Bingham County found Richard Leavitt guilty of attacking, sexually mutilating, and murdering Elg at her home. She had been stabbed 15 times with exceptional force on or about July 17 of the previous year, prosecutors said. A day or so before her death, she called 911 to report a prowler had tried to enter her home and told police she suspected Leavitt, an acquaintance. When police arrived they found signs of attempted entry but nothing else. There were four days between Elgs murder and the discovery of her body and during that time, authorities said Leavitt was exceedingly interested in her whereabouts.

RACHEL BROWN | Scroll Photography

The treatment plant is located near the north side of Rexburg. Officials said it will be about two years before a new waste disposal system is implemented.

Officials research sewer treatment

AINSLEY DESPAIN Scroll Staff Mayor Richard Woodland, City Attorney Stephen Zollinger and Public Works Director John Millar visited Europe last month to do further research on sewer treatment systems that may be adopted in Rexburg. Rexburg city officials have been considering an update in waste disposal technology for over a year now. Were still researching the technology to see how we can best upgrade our sewer plant, said Richard Horner, Rexburg chief financial officer. The current treatment plant processes water waste for Rexburg, Sugar City and Teton. The purpose of this plant is to produce clean water. However, the European treatment system, the group visited, not only purifies the water but also converts the solid waste into energy. Horner said the energy-efficient process requires the correct amount of water to be mixed in with the waste in order to get the right consistency, which makes it a sensitive process. The research was done in Zurich, Switzerland, and Munich, Germany. Rexburg officials met with the head officer for a German company, who was able to run them through the details of the process. Due to the limited use of the technology in the United States, this additional research was set into the research plan. [Rexburg] has been looking into this seriously since last winter, said Horner. Europe has been doing this for the last twenty years. Horner said the $5,000 trip was necessary in order to gain more knowledge of the complicated technology. The trip to Europe was financed through the sewer improvement bond. This bond was founded in 2008 by the city. The machine is not an incinerator, but rather it reduces the garbage essentially into sand, said Horner. It later is converted into diesel or electricity.

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SELECTIONS FROM REXBURG POLICE LOG:

JUNE 4-8
Editors note: All information contained in this section is public record and is accessible to anyone through the Rexburg Police Department. Dispensing alcohol to underage individuals. Underage possession and consumption of alcohol. Theft. Money stolen from victims purse located in her apartment at La Jolla Apartments. Drunken Driving Arrest. Abandoned vehicle complaint. Complaint of possible attempted break in. Resident found a hole in the screen door and screen was off the track. Loud music complaint. Third West. Complaint of teenagers yelling vulgar language from a vehicle. Theft. Longboard from Southgate Apartments. Complaint of a neighbor making a threat against another neighbor. Disturbance. Complaint of people on the North exit running on and off the overpass taking pictures. Domestic dispute. Couple arguing over womans ex-husband. Violation of a protection order. Annoying phone call complaint. Theft. Parking sign, South Gate Apartments. Complaint of unattended children at the skate park. Trespassing. Two 13-year-old males. West First South. Vacant house had previously been vandalized by unknown persons. Released to parents. Leaving the scene of an accident.

SCOTT AUSTIN | Scroll Photography

Officials assess an accident involving a bicyclist and a driver. The dent on the side of the green Toyota truck is where the bicyclist collided with the truck.

Cyclist crashes into truck near campus

BRETT EVANS Scroll Staff Medics took a bicyclist to the hospital with non-fatal injuries after he struck a vehicle in Rexburg, June 7. The cyclist, whose name was not released, was riding north down the hill on First West at Viking Drive before hitting a Toyota pickup truck that was pulling into a parking stall, witnesses said. We transported him to Madison Memorial Hospital with non-lifethreatening facial and head injuries, said Mikel Walker, assistant fire chief of emergency medical services for the Madison Fire Department. Students and bystanders walking near the BYU-Idaho Center witnessed the accident at about 1:30 p.m. I saw the bicyclist hit his brakes or hit the truck, and he flipped forward, said Kris Tanner, a sophomore majoring in marriage and family studies. Tanner said that the bicyclist ended up under the truck. I ran over and told the driver to not pull forward so he wouldnt run the cyclist over, Tanner said. Tanner said the cyclists nose was bleeding and that he seemed dazed at first. She said the bicyclist had a hard time remembering what happened. Tanner didnt think the bicyclist was wearing a helmet. After helping him out from under the truck, bystanders had the bicyclist lay on his side to help the nosebleed. Then they tried to keep him calm because he seemed scared, Tanner said. Jeremy Skillicorn, a senior studying exercise physiology, was the driver of the truck, and said he was on his way to an extra-credit project for his biology class. The incident left a dent in the side of his truck. I didnt see anybody when I was pulling in, said Skillicorn. I just felt the truck tilt and felt a big jolt like something hit me from the side. Witnesses saw the cyclist ride through the stop sign at Viking Drive before hitting the truck. Skillicorn said the police told him he probably wasnt at fault for the accident. I dont feel like I did anything wrong, he said. But I feel bad for the cyclist. I hope hes okay.